Improvement in kerosene burning-fluids



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM GES'NER, OF'WILLIAMSBURG, N. Y., AssIesoR TO THE ASPHALT MINING"AND KEROSENE Gas COMPANY. IMPROVEMENTlN KEROSENE- BURNING-FLUIDS.

Specification fonniug pa rt of Letters Patent No. ll,203, dated.lune'27,1354.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM (lessen, late of the city and county of NewYork, now of Wil'liamsburg, in the county of Kings, and State of NewYork, have invented and discoveretht new and useful manufacture orcomposition of matter, being anew liquid hydrocarbonQwhichI denomin'atekerosene," and which may be used for illuminating and other 7 purposes,of which the following is a specification.

' I'obtain this product t'ronipct-roleum,maltha, or soft mineral pitch,asp'haltum, or bitumen,

wherever found, by dry distillation and "subsequent treatment withpowerful reagents and redistillation.

This process, which will presently be described, yieldskeroseneoftln-eeditierentqmilities or proofs, each of which, in my opinion, is

a mixturcin certain proportionsof a spirituous, light, and highlyvolatile and infiammablellqnid, with an oily, heavy, and lessvolatileaud inflammable liquid. 1 have not succeeded in completelyseparating thcseliquids in themanulacture, and I see nopractically-useful object to begained by doing so. Neither have Iascertained the exact proportions in which the two liquids are mixed;but I suppose thelightest fluid, which I denominate A kerosene, to becomposed of two parts, by measure or equivalent prop'orl ions,.ot theheavy and eight of the light fluid. Its specific gravity is .750, waterbeing 1, and it boils at 150 Fahrenheit. It is not a'solvent ot'suchgums as I have tried to dissolve in it,among.which Iuiaymentionindia-vrubl er. Sixty-fiveparts,by|neasure,ofal cohol ot' specificgravity .844, at a temperature of 60 Fahrenheit, will dissolve thirt-yfive parts, by measure, of thisliquid. By itselfthe A kerosene is highlyvolatile and inflammable, so much so'thatcven in cold winter weather agood light is produced by forcinga current. of atmospheric air throughit, circulating the same in pipes and burning it in jets like gas.

The second-or medium-proof fluid I call B kerosene, and suppose to becomposed of four parts or equivalents of the heavy and six of the lightfluid. Itsspecific gravity is .775 and its boiling-point 250 Fahrenheit.It is not a solvent of gums, but will sot'ten them very slightly.Seventy-five parts of alcohol, ot' spccific gravity .844 at atemperature of 60 Fahrenhcit, will dissolve twenty-five parts of thisliquid. By itself the B kerosene is moderately volatile and inflammable,but willinot, like the A', yield a good light by having a current-of airpassed through it and burned.

The third orlow-proot' tluid [call 0 kerosene, and suppose itto becomposed of six parts or equivalents (f the heavy and tour ofthclightliquid. Unliketh'e A and B, the heavyliquid prepondera tes inand gives character to'the U kerosene. lts specific gravity is .800, andits boiling-pointis 350 Fahrenheit. Unlike A and B, it is not soluble inalcohol, but itisa good solvent of gums, as india-rubber dissolves in itreadily. Itris not very volatile or inflammable; butin an Argand lamp,with a button over the wick, it burns with a brilliant white lightwithout smoke or the naphthilous odor so offensive in many hydrocarbonshaving some resemblance to this but. possessing very differentproperties.- As burning'tluids for the purpose of artificialillumination, these are highly useful and economical, either separately,mixed together, orA and B mixed with alcohol. The G kerosene has alsoproved very good as a lubricant for machinery where it has been tried;but, being a new and almost untried thing, the kerosene doubt-less hasverynumerous uses besi'desits adaptation to illumination and lubricationthat will soon be discovered alter it is manufactured on the large scaleand put into the market as an article of trade. Moreover, as the rockswhence the kerosencis most abundantly obtained are widely disseminated,and the deposits of them are of almost unlimited extent, an immense massof hitherto useless matter will by means of this invention be renderedavailable for the uses of mankind as a cheap and convenient substitutefor illuminating purposes for the oils and fats which are yearlyincreasing in scarcity and price.

The process and apparatus I employ in pro due-ing the kerosene 1 willnow proceed to describe, premising that I do not confine myself toanyparticular form or arrangement of apparatus, but in tend to use whatevermay prove most convenient in any given case.

:Ihe first part of the process consists'in submitting-the raw materialto dry distillation at the lowest temperature at which the kerosene willvolatilize, care being taken not to raise the temperature so long astolcrably-rapid evaporation continues, and the hcatmust not in any casebe raised above 800 lrahrenheit, a

the heat,-T raised to theslightest perceptible red in daylight, would beso high as to defeat the whole object of the process, for agreatlyincreased production of gas would takeplace and the liquidproduct would be naphtha instead of kerosene. .Wh'atever gas maybe gen--eratedI employ for illuminating purposes in the ordinary manner and alsoas fuel for heating the still. large cast-iron retorts set in suitablefurnaces for the evaporation, andmetal pipes or chambers surrounded bywater for the condensation, of the vapor. Theliquid m-oductsof thisdistillationare heavy tar and water or' am-.

moniaeal liqiior,which lie at the bottom of the receiver and a lighterliquid which floatsabove them. The heavy liquids and the light areseparated by drawing off one or the other into another vessel by meansof a cock, si phon, or otherwise. The heavy liquids may be utilized ordisposed .of advantageously, but they have no further connection withthis process, and therefore I' shall not here describe the mode in whichI propose to utilize them.

The light liquid is then submitted 'to redistillation at the lowestpossible heat in a common still and condenser. The product of this.redistillation isa light volatile liquid, which accumulates in thereceiver, and a heavy tarry residuum left in the still, and which may beadded to the heavy liquid impurities of the first distillate. The lightliquid is transferred 2 from the receiver to a suitable vessel or va-t,

and mixed thoroughly with from five. to ten per cent. of strongsulphuric, nitric, or muriatic acid, according to the quantity of tarpresent. Seven per cent. is about the average quantity required; but anyquantity is useful.

I have enumerated three acids; but I gave the preference to sulphuric,although either of the others will answer very well. [also mixwith theliquid from one to three per cent. of peroxide of manganese, accordingto the turbidness of the liquid, about two per eentpbeing the averagequantity required. It has the effect of facilitatingg'reatly theprecipitation of certain of the impurities'which the liquid eontaius;but although useful I do not deem it essential. After these substanceshavebeen thoroughly mixed with the liquid by agitation it is allowed tostand from twelve to twenty- -four hours withoutlieing disturbed, inorder that the impurities may subside. The clear supernatant liquid isnow separated from the impurities, both solid and liquid, that havesettled to the bottom of the tank, bydrawing ofl either the one or theother into a separate vessel. I next mix the distillate with about twoper ce'nt., by weight, of powdered and freshly eal'cined lime. Thelatter by its powerful affinity for water will absorb it thorough lyfrom the-liquidhydrocarbon, which always at this stage of the processcontains it in a greater or less quantity. Lime by its alkalineproperties will also neutralize any acid in the liquid. -At'te'r thelime has beenthoroughly mixed with the liquid by stirring the'mirgtureFor this dry distillation I have used is again distilled, care beingtaken to raise the heat gradually and slowly first to about 1,60

Fahrenheit, where it is kept by'regulating the damper until all thevapor has passed over into the receiver that the liquid will yield'atthis temperature. This product or distillate is the A kerosene, and isdrawn off from the receiver into an appropriate vessel. The heat is nowraised by again drawing the damper to about 260 Fahrenheit, when vaporswill again rise and be condensed in the receiver. .As soon as thedistillate ceases to flow at this temperature it is drawn off from thereceiver I exerta specific influence or effect which is indispensable tothe good quality-oi theproduct. Neither soda nor potash can produce thisei feet imauy form in which I have tried them, and I have made specialand numerous etfprts to replace the lime with these alkalies.

To deprive the liquid of waterby freshlyn calcined lime is important,because, as I have discovered, water is highly injurious to the processand product, even in very small quantities, as it causes cnrbolic acidto pass over with the distillates, giving to them a creosotic odor,which, is extremely oii'ensi've. It. is one oP the great and peculiaradvantages of my process that the fluids which it produces have nodisagreeable odor.

. The boiling-points ofthe A," B, and

U kerosene, as before stated, indicate approximatelythe temperatureatwhich' the boilingtakes place. 10 or 2tlincrease of temperature mighttake place without producing any sensible effect upon the quality orcharacter of the product,'-as no evaporation ta'ltes place at,atemperature below that at which the first. distillation begins, orbetween the first aml second or second and third distillations, and athermometer is not used for the purpose of regulating the temperature,as the observation and judgment of askillful workman are sutficient.

Having claimed umler Separate specitications the B and (f). kerosene. Iclaim- As a new manufacture or composition of matter for illuminatingandother purposes,

thejliquid hydrocarbon herein described, which I denominate A kerosene.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ABRAHAM, GESNER. Witnesses:

PETER HANNAY, P. H. WATSON.

